Edwin

Edwin Toh embodies its namesake's pursuits in music performance, production, and education. An active freelance musician based in Singapore, Edwin Toh brings to the table a decade's worth of education and experience in the industry. Edwin graduated with top honors from Berklee College of Music (USA), clinching his divisional Award for 'Creativity in Scoring for Advertising' twice while on a Dean's Award scholarship. Back home, he topped the pioneer batch of the Diploma in Music & Audio Technology (Singapore Polytechnic), achieving the Media Development Authority Gold Medal and DBS Bank Award.

An avid performer, Edwin plays at weddings, corporate settings, lounges, and community events throughout the year. He has accompanied or opened for singers such as Amirah Ali, Ila Damiaa, Joe Flizzow, AJ Rafael, and SonaOne — touching crowds with his honest, sensitive delivery of music. Taking on complementary roles as keyboardist/rehearsal pianist/baritone section leader, Edwin was involved in musicals such as Berklee Musical Theater Club's 'Hairspray' (2012) , KLPAC's 'Paper Crane' (2012), Young NTUC's 'A Labour of Love' (2007), and Singapore Polytechnic's 'Superstar: The Pop Musical' (2006). He has appeared in music festivals like Indonesia's Ambon Jazz Plus Festival (2011) and Singapore Street Festival (2009), among others.

While maintaining versatility across the board, music production remains the key focus amid Edwin's holistic freelance pursuits. He was recently involved in the post-production for MediaCorp Radio/SunnyHills' Chinese New Year 2015 song; as well as Starhub's local drama, 'Jump Class'. As a writer, Edwin co-arranged the song 'Kalau Aku Kaya' for Anugerah Juara Lagu (2014), one of Malaysia's most prestigious annual song competitions. His foray into scoring for visuals garnered finalist recognition in Taylor's Short Film Contest (2012), earning praise from the panel of judges including Singaporean director Jack Neo. Edwin worked on the sound design for 'An Inspector Calls', a drama production staged in support of the President's Challenge (2008); and was a finalist in the NTU Music Express 14 National Songwriting Competition that same year. His role as Music Producer/Arranger helped his team clinch the championship in the National Inter-School Artiste & Repertoire Challenge 2007. Meanwhile, he represented Singapore Polytechnic as an Audio Lead in the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab research initiative.

In his view, being a successful musician is more about one's capacity to inspire lives than fame or fortune. Privileged to have undergone a thorough music education himself, imparting knowledge and skills through teaching is one of the ways Edwin gives back to community. While at Boston, he
volunteered with the Berklee City Music Mentoring Program, and was a Student Ambassador with the school's Admissions office, continuing in his present role as Alumni Representative. In Singapore, he teaches in private and at government/music schools alike — providing music consultation, private instruction, and group classes/workshops. Developing the passion for music and holistic understanding are priorities in his pedagogical approach.

Edwin continues to freelance on a full-time basis, and is excited for upcoming gigs and projects in the year ahead.